Published: Monday, March 3, 2014 at 11:15 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, March 3, 2014 at 11:15 p.m.

SARASOTA - In San Antonio, Lt. Kevin Stiff heard it from local police officers, McDonald's workers, tourists and residents.

Facts

IN OTHER BUSINESS

The City Commission voted 4-1 to hold off on seeking a new tenant for the former G.Wiz building, which the city hopes to lease after the former children's science museum closed last year.

Commissioners said they were reluctant to move on the property while the future of the Bayfront area is unclear. The vote came after a group of concerned citizens advocated resurrecting a broad plan to redevelop the area. Commissioner Susan Chapman voted against the decision.

There were a lot more homeless people around after a large shelter was built near downtown. Many people didn't like it, but they also said there was a serious problem with homelessness before.

If Sarasota builds a similar shelter, Stiff said, it will almost certainly need more police officers to patrol the surrounding neighborhood.

That was the message Stiff, a Sarasota police lieutenant, delivered at City Hall on Monday after visiting homeless shelters in San Antonio, Phoenix, San Diego and Los Angeles' Skid Row.

Stiff was invited to offer his observations Monday by Vice Mayor Willie Shaw, who has said he is opposed to locating a large, come-as-you-are shelter in North Sarasota. The City Commission has been divided over a proposal to locate the shelter at one of two locations in the city, one at 1330 N. Osprey Ave. and the other at 1800 N. East Ave. The two sites are being studied by city and county officials at the recommendation of homelessness expert Robert Marbut.

On Monday, Stiff told commissioners that the shelters he saw varied greatly. Some were in tough neighborhoods, while others were surrounded by nice homes. In some cases, he said, you could hardly tell from the outside that there was a shelter.

In all cases, he praised the efforts of the shelters, even if he couldn't evaluate their success.

“I can't tell you if the San Antonio shelter has helped the homeless population or not,” Stiff said. “I have no opinion on whether the center should be built or not.”

Shaw challenged Stiff to say more about what a shelter would mean for North Sarasota. Shaw said he was concerned about chronically homeless people coming to Sarasota from Manatee County to take advantage of the shelter. He said he also feared the shelter would attract sex offenders. Two weeks ago, the City Commission narrowly approved funding for Marbut's work, with Shaw and Commissioner Susan Chapman voting against it.

“If we continue to lower the value and the quality of life for those individuals in North Sarasota, how will we be able to truly say we are an inclusive community?” Shaw said.

Stiff said he recommended careful selection and training of officers working around the shelter, and outreach to area residents.

“The neighborhood has to have a voice in how the city responds to and treats complaints at and around the center,” Stiff said. That meant door-to-door talks with neighbors before the shelter opened and monthly meetings with landlords for a long time after. “This relationship has to begin as soon as a location for the center is determined.”

Capt. Pat Robinson of the Sarasota Police Department said the department couldn't offer an opinion about the broader homeless policy, except that something needed to be done.

He said the department already had officers detailed to work with the homeless and help them connect with agencies like the Veterans Administration. If a shelter is built, he said, that will mean more calls in that area, and the department would have to dedicate a team to handle it.

The shelter would be run by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, but city police would answer calls outside it. Police Chief Bernadette DiPino has said the department might need to hire more officers to provide that added manpower.

But Robinson said the department was dedicated to making a shelter work — if it is built, no matter where.

“If we do nothing, we could see a 50 percent increase in chronic homeless because of returning vets,” he said, citing a report from Marbut.

“I can speak on behalf of the police department that that is not acceptable.”

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - In San Antonio, Lt. Kevin Stiff heard it from local police officers, McDonald's workers, tourists and residents. </p><p>There were a lot more homeless people around after a large shelter was built near downtown. Many people didn't like it, but they also said there was a serious problem with homelessness before. </p><p>If Sarasota builds a similar shelter, Stiff said, it will almost certainly need more police officers to patrol the surrounding neighborhood. </p><p>That was the message Stiff, a Sarasota police lieutenant, delivered at City Hall on Monday after visiting homeless shelters in San Antonio, Phoenix, San Diego and Los Angeles' Skid Row.</p><p>Stiff was invited to offer his observations Monday by Vice Mayor Willie Shaw, who has said he is opposed to locating a large, come-as-you-are shelter in North Sarasota. The City Commission has been divided over a proposal to locate the shelter at one of two locations in the city, one at 1330 N. Osprey Ave. and the other at 1800 N. East Ave. The two sites are being studied by city and county officials at the recommendation of homelessness expert Robert Marbut.</p><p>On Monday, Stiff told commissioners that the shelters he saw varied greatly. Some were in tough neighborhoods, while others were surrounded by nice homes. In some cases, he said, you could hardly tell from the outside that there was a shelter. </p><p>In all cases, he praised the efforts of the shelters, even if he couldn't evaluate their success. </p><p>“I can't tell you if the San Antonio shelter has helped the homeless population or not,” Stiff said. “I have no opinion on whether the center should be built or not.”</p><p>Shaw challenged Stiff to say more about what a shelter would mean for North Sarasota. Shaw said he was concerned about chronically homeless people coming to Sarasota from Manatee County to take advantage of the shelter. He said he also feared the shelter would attract sex offenders. Two weeks ago, the City Commission narrowly approved funding for Marbut's work, with Shaw and Commissioner Susan Chapman voting against it.</p><p>“If we continue to lower the value and the quality of life for those individuals in North Sarasota, how will we be able to truly say we are an inclusive community?” Shaw said. </p><p>Stiff said he recommended careful selection and training of officers working around the shelter, and outreach to area residents. </p><p>“The neighborhood has to have a voice in how the city responds to and treats complaints at and around the center,” Stiff said. That meant door-to-door talks with neighbors before the shelter opened and monthly meetings with landlords for a long time after. “This relationship has to begin as soon as a location for the center is determined.”</p><p>Capt. Pat Robinson of the Sarasota Police Department said the department couldn't offer an opinion about the broader homeless policy, except that something needed to be done. </p><p>He said the department already had officers detailed to work with the homeless and help them connect with agencies like the Veterans Administration. If a shelter is built, he said, that will mean more calls in that area, and the department would have to dedicate a team to handle it. </p><p>The shelter would be run by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, but city police would answer calls outside it. Police Chief Bernadette DiPino has said the department might need to hire more officers to provide that added manpower. </p><p>But Robinson said the department was dedicated to making a shelter work — if it is built, no matter where. </p><p>“If we do nothing, we could see a 50 percent increase in chronic homeless because of returning vets,” he said, citing a report from Marbut.</p><p>“I can speak on behalf of the police department that that is not acceptable.”</p>